ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding updates for 2025
Derm Coding Consult
By Faith C. M. McNicholas, RHIT, CPC, CPCD, PCS, CDC, Manager, Lead Coding and Reimbursement Strategist, October 1, 2024
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Vital Health Statistics (CDC/NCVHS) have announced the 2025 updates for the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM), which will be implemented on Oct. 1, 2024. These updates include a total of 301 code changes: 252 new codes, 36 deletions, and 13 revisions.
Despite a decline in the number of new codes, this year’s updates focus on enhancing the granularity of the diagnosis code set. Several codes have been reclassified as non-billable parent codes, enabling the expansion of code families with more specific fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-character codes that indicate the location and state of the condition. Only a few of these changes will directly impact dermatology diagnosis coding.
In addition to the new ICD-10-CM codes for reporting frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) and central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), developed through the collaboration of the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) and the Scarring Alopecia Foundation (SAF), the following table outlines the CDC/NCVHS-approved revisions and updates to dermatology-related ICD-10-CM codes. These updates must be incorporated into the practice management coding system by Oct. 1, 2024.
| ICD-10-CM code | Code descriptor | Revisions/update |
|---|---|---|
L29.8 | Other pruritus | New code: L29.89 Other pruritus |
L66.1 | Lichen planopilaris | Deleted: Follicular lichen planus New code: L66.10 Lichen planopilaris, unspecified New code: L66.11 Classic lichen planopilaris Follicular lichen planus New code: L66.12 Frontal fibrosing alopecia FFA New code: L66.19 Other lichen planopilaris Lassueur Graham-Little Piccardi syndrome |
| L66.8 | Other cicatricial alopecia | New code: L66.81 Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia CCCA New code: L66.89 Other cicatricial alopecia |
| T45.1 | Poisoning by, adverse effect of and underdosing of antineoplastic and immunosuppressive drugs | New coding instruction: Excludes1: poisoning by, adverse effect of and underdosing of immune checkpoint inhibitors and immunostimulant drugs (T45.A) New code: T45.A Poisoning by, adverse effect of and underdosing of immune checkpoint inhibitors and immunostimulant drugs Excludes1: Poisoning by, adverse effect of and underdosing of antineoplastic and immunosuppressive drug (T45.1) New code: T45.AX Poisoning by, adverse effect of and underdosing of immune checkpoint inhibitors and immunostimulant drugs New code: T45.AX1 Poisoning by immune checkpoint inhibitors and immunostimulant drugs, accidental (unintentional). Poisoning by immune checkpoint inhibitors and immunosuppressive drugs NOS New code: T45.AX2 Poisoning by immune checkpoint inhibitors and immunostimulant drugs, intentional self-harm New code: T45.AX3 Poisoning by immune checkpoint inhibitors and immunostimulant drugs, assault New code: T45.AX4 Poisoning by immune checkpoint inhibitors and immunostimulant drugs, undetermined New code: T45.AX5 Adverse effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors and immunostimulant drugs New code: T45.AX6 Underdosing of immune checkpoint inhibitors and immunostimulant drugs |
| T63.4 | Toxic effect of venom of other arthropods | New coding instruction: Use additional code, if applicable, for anaphylactic shock (T78.2) |
| Z59 | Problems related to housing and economic circumstances | Z59.7 Insufficient social insurance and welfare support Insufficient social and welfare insurance New code: Z59.71 Insufficient health insurance coverage Inadequate social insurance Insufficient social insurance No health insurance coverage New code: Z59.72 Insufficient welfare support Inadequate welfare support |
Note: The above codes do not reflect an exhaustive list of all the new codes and do not include coding instructions. Please review the 2025 AAD Coding and Billing Manual, ICD-10-CM section, for chapter-specific coding instructions pertaining to the use of these new codes.
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